


The Sky Is Beautiful

by SeoulWings13



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Bang Chan & Lee Felix are Related, Everyone Loves Yang Jeongin | I.N, Falling out of the sky, Fear of Falling, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lee Felix Needs a Hug (Stray Kids), Magic, Magical Tattoos, Mentioned ATEEZ Ensemble, Mentioned Bangtan Boys | BTS Ensemble, Mentioned GOT7 (GOT7), Mentioned Mark Lee (NCT), Mentioned NCT 127 Ensemble, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Mentioned SEVENTEEN Ensemble, No Romance, Other, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, Pain, Sky - Freeform, Soft Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Star Gazing, Tattoos, World Hopping, World Travel, like felix falls a lot, rey why did you write this, shape shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29151699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeoulWings13/pseuds/SeoulWings13
Summary: Felix can jump between dimensions.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Choi Soobin/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Lee Felix & Yang Jeongin | I.N
Kudos: 11





	The Sky Is Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> I'm scared cause this isn't LiT. Please, no hate?
> 
> Leave a comment and kudo if you liked.

World hopping was a dangerous hobby, yet it was so beautiful. Falling through realms of color and textures was often art, despite the potential for death. It was the adrenaline that led Felix to keep jumping. He sprung from one dimension to the next, soaring. The pinks and oranges smiled back at him as he flew through a land of people with wings. Keep moving, just don't stop. To stop would be to fall, and oh how Felix didn't want to fall any further.

Every jump was a leap into a new exploration, a step further from his own world, from his own pain. He slipped as he made the next jump, falling onto a fluffy cloud. This world was covered in blue colored light, a tall yet familiar man reclining on a nearby cushion. He was reading something, obviously enjoying it, but it was still strange. He had met the "characters" in the comic. Felix was never supposed to reveal he could jump worlds, instead opting to say he just hung around and traveled a lot. 

Jae noticed him and smiled, giving him a little wave. Felix returned it, dusting himself off. Falling was terrifying. Falling made it so easy to remember. Remember things he didn't want to. Running off from Jae, he summoned the strength to jump on last time. Mistake. He didn't have enough energy to keep going and fell midway through the jump, landing in the last world he wanted to be. His own. His wrist burned with searing pain, and Felix grunted, cradling it with his good one.

Definitely too tired to make another hop, but definitely too prideful to go home, he decided to find a little nook and rest until he could move into another world. Here, he was reminded of the hate and pain. Here, old memories and fears clawed their way to the surface. As he was trying to recall something positive of his life, the fear resurfaced. The red and black of one room. Falling. He was falling again. 

\--

_"Dad, why are we jumping through the air again?" a young Felix was nervously looking down from a large building._

_"I'm teaching you how to hop worlds." his dad reminded him for the fifth time._

_"I don't wanna. Mama said all the connected worlds here are dangerous."_

_"I know, but that's what I want to show you."_

_Young Felix didn't notice the glint in his father's eyes. It was the look of a father disposing of an illegitimate child. Cruel. Emotionless. It wasn't the child's fault the father cheated. It wasn't the child's fault he didn't look like his mother._

_And so, Felix had jumped. And fallen. Honestly, he didn't know if he did jump, all he knew was that he was falling. Fear engulfed him as he tumbled into the unknown. His father was shocked the boy managed to jump. One less mouth the feed, and one less disappointment he had to bear._

_Felix had ended up in a very cold, dark place void of any life. He was stuck, alone, and afraid. Survival is the best teacher, and Felix stayed huddled in his corner trying to jump again. He fell through, ending up at the feet of a boy not much older than him._

\--

Felix clutched at his head. Why now of all time for him to recall those exact scenarios? He was over the feelings of crushing loneliness now. He could cope with his mind now. The boy's face was incredibly blurry in his mind, and Felix cursed himself for it. If he was going to remember anything, why couldn't it be his face? Or his name. Sometimes moving too quickly was more hurtful than useful. 

In some worlds, Felix tried to get therapy, settle down, have a life. He'd made a friend in one of the more fantastical dimensions, and planned to hop there as soon as possible. It was about four worlds away, but he should be able to cover the distance without trouble. Hopefully, he didn't end up falling through again. 

"Jeongin." Felix breathed into the cold air. He was in pain from the repeated falls and a headache threatened to make him pass out, but he had never felt so _alive._

"Jeongin I miss you. I'll visit as soon as I can. I fell badly. Think I broke my wrist. I saw the stranger again. The one I told you about." he let out a short, barking laugh. Meeting Jeongin was pure chance. He had collided into another jumper during his journey, finding the younger would explore and return home. 

Felix walked, dragging himself into a small alley. Eventually, he keeled over from exhaustion, falling into a thankfully dreamless slumber. He awoke to a pain in his wrist, mentally cursing himself for not taking better care of it. 

Yanking a piece of fabric from his bag, he bound it, hoping it wasn't too tight. As he climbed; the higher one fell, the further they could jump, he felt dread accumulate in his stomach. There was never supposed to be fear in jumping, but he was so scared. Falling, the ground rushing upward, the lack of control.

The fear painted his face, sharpened his pain, and shut down his senses. Yet, Felix didn't know why he was scared. He welcomed death, attempting to greet his old friend every turn he got. Death wouldn't claim him. Pain could only do so much. In times like this, Felix was so tired of being human. The imprinted floral designs on his neck burned with an eerie light. 

_Half-Human. God, what would it take to be normal?_

Felix nearly ran from the building. No. Running away was better than falling. It was way better than falling. Yet, falling or being alone? If he fell, he could see Jeongin, maybe even the mystery man. Forcing himself to jump, he gritted his teeth, the new dimensions opening just before he hit the floor. 

The face of the boy, now a man, flashed clearly in his mind.

\--

Jeongin was half expecting Felix to fall from the sky again. What he wasn't expecting was a pale, sweaty, _blond_ Felix to fall from the sky. He immediately ushered Felix into a chair. It was bad if Felix couldn't control how he fell. Very little could force Felix from falling at his gentle slope. He must've been shaken, badly. 

Like Felix, Jeongin was only technically half-human and decorated in floral outlines. Unlike Felix, Jeongin was fine with it, opting to show off his talents and explore. While the older traveled out of necessity, he was fulled by a love for life and a curiosity about the other worlds.

Felix looked over, his face breaking into a smile. "Jeong. I did it."

"Yeah, but Lix, what the heck? You come hurtling from the sky, you look sick, and you pull up freaking blond?"

"You like the blond?"

"Is that all you got? Yes, I like the blond, but falling. You were falling."

Felix pinched the bridge of his nose. "Explains my headache then."

Jeongin threw up his hands in frustration. "Is he back?"

"Who?"

"You know, GOD HOW DENSE ARE YOU?"

"I don't wanna think about him. I got a headache, don't yell Jeong. But yeah. I saw him."

"Felix, we've both been looking. What if he doesn't- Wait, you _saw_ him? Like actually?"

"As I was falling, yeah."

"Felix, the man appeared to you once after you came from isolation, and now, now. Seems incredibly suspicious. Also, you only see him in your head."

"I just wanna know why me."

"Lix, let him go. All this meaningless jumping is going to kill you. You don't even know who you're looking for."

Felix was quiet, looking up. "Maybe you're right, but why stop trying? I got nothing else to do."

"You can stay here, make a life here with me. I'm your best friend. Please, just consider my offer."

"But, Jeong, traveling makes me feel alive. Death won't touch me, I've tried. Time runs from me, and Fate laughs."

"Just, consider my offer, Kay'?"

"I will Jeong, but if I'm gone in the morning, I'm gone."

"I know Lix."

\--

The face swam into Felix's dreams, pulling even more instances from his childhood forward. The dark room with the chains that restrained every movement. It was sharper, more resolved, and All Felix wanted to do was scream. He was so close, yet so far. 

The face; Felix didn't know how, but the face had a name. _Chan_. The face was mouthing coordinates. It wasn't like he could move, and what did he have to lose? Memorizing them, was easy. (33, 33) It was a place Felix avoided, though. He hated coordinates of the same number. It just felt wrong.

It was 3 am when he left Jeong's place. Longer than he'd stayed before. Felix looked regretfully around the comfortable room, hissing as his wrist moved ever so slightly. He'd have to fix it. Now, he simply cradled it as he climbed. He didn't know what building he was scaling, nor if he was going to be able to hit the right dimension, but it felt so right. 

He looked up, and oh. Oh, he could see the stars. Oh, they were beautiful. Here they shone and twinkled with every color, against a velvety backdrop. Felix didn't want to jump. He didn't want to find Chan. He just wanted to stare up at the sky. He stared up, tracing the stars with his eyes. It was so poetically twisted. He couldn't stay here. He had no home here.

He had no home anywhere.

As the sun crept up, chasing the beautiful night away, Felix got up to jump. Jeongin watched, touched Felix had stayed for so long. Normally, he'd ask to tag along, but he had a spa appointment to attend, and Felix could handle himself.

Felix was falling, again. He hated this part, but this time, directing himself to the right worlds. He started running instead of falling, enjoying hopping again. The familiar worlds he'd nicknamed seemed to glow as he ran. There was the land of the seven where groups of seven hung out. He'd met a group affectionately named "Got7" and another who called themselves "BTS."

Past the land of fantastical events; Demon slaying, dragon killing, magic, fae, and monsters. There were stories everywhere, Felix often staying to listen to them. He paused for the briefest of moments to stare at Hyunjin, King of the demon sector. He laughed to himself as he watched the young king wave his hands at servents. 

Further, he ran, picking up speed. Eventually, the colored dimensions appeared, Minho, Jisung, Changbin, and Seungmin conversing. Felix kept going. He was so close to his destination, (33, 33) Stopping for a breath of air in an unfamiliar area, Felix found himself surrounded by masked men. 

Not here, not now. Why? Freaking why? Felix put his hands in the air, trying to find the momentum to jump again. His tattoos flickered, humming with nervous energy. He was too scared, jumping would be nigh impossible. One more jump would've taken him to Chan, as well. A few choice words escaped his lips as the circle got smaller. There were roughly twenty guys, maybe more. 

Dropping to his knees, Felix prayed the act of surrender would result in his freedom. He might've wished for a fast death instead. Several of the men restrained his wrists, another few tying his legs. A bag was shoved over his head, and Felix found himself without his sight. Oh, how he hated being restrained. 

Still, he lay still, cooperating. Lightly accented voices touched his ears. 

"Mark, you sure he is one?" A light voice with a little husk spoke. It was tinted with worry.

"Look at his neck Yuta, he is one. You can tell by the flowers." Mark had a rougher voice.

"Why do we need him again?" A new voice. Felix's own head was spinning. There were so many people. 

"Boss's orders. Honestly, can you guys just do one thing quietly please?"

Murmured agreements from scolded boy's mouths chorused through the air. Felix found himself losing the ability to stay awake. The black called for him, and he gave in. 

\--

_Felix, fifteen, was jumping again. He was trying to get back into the happier worlds. There was no peace down here with all the pain. He had fled from isolation, abuse, and other horrors. Everything was flooding back. Some rational part of him knew it was going to end. The other parts of him were scared of what would come._

_Chan had appeared to him, had helped him get out, only to vanish. The man was a ghost, trying to help, but Felix wanted, needed, something more real and tangible._

_He had traveled obsessively after getting out of the hellish worlds. They were still, admittingly beautiful, now he looked back on them. Yet, Chan hadn't appeared. Felix wanted to meet him so badly, but at the same time, he was scared._

_As he jumped, the energy filing the world-hopping began to dissipate. He was pushing himself too hard, eventually falling into Jeongin's world. Felix had stayed there, only because he was tied to the bed. Jeongin had been adamant Felix rested. Jeongin had caught Felix panicking with the restraints, and after assuring himself the older male wouldn't run, let him free._

_It was the happiest period of Felix's life._

_He felt safe. Saftey, such an abstract concept, yet, Felix was happy._

\--

The sack was yanked off, and Felix found himself in a crate. Flexing his wrists, he looked around, noting several other males. They all looked annoyed with their surroundings, one in the corner, crying a little. 

"Where were they, and oh shoot, I can't even summon the urge to hop." was the only way to describe Felix's internal monologue. 

"You can't." A light blue-haired male, obviously from a colored district, seemed to read Felix's mind. He too was covered in the floral tattoos, though he chooses to expand upon them, adding his own style. Felix marveled at the ink in his skin. "I'm Soobin, by the way. Get comfy, I guess."

Felix looked around the box. Everyone there was something different, every one possessing the same ethereal features. There were a couple of world hoppers like him indicated by the floral tattoos, a shapeshifter Felix guessed, and a boy whom Soobin warned not to talk to. 

He learned of his situation soon enough. Soobin and Taehyun; the boy crying in the corner, were world hoppers, captured like Felix. Minjae was the shapeshifter, and the silent boy had no spoken name. The word "San" had been traced into the dust. 

His captors were a group called NCT. They existed to research the different ways magic manifested in the half-humans. They followed under a man named Taeyong, often working with another gang named Seventeen. It was like an underground black market for science. Every other day someone would attempt an escape. 

Often, San was the most successful. Lack of use caused Felix's muscles to waste away. He rarely got up, preferring to stay in a drifting state of fluid consciousness. Soobin was looked up too, though he paid the most attention to Taehyun. The boy had the right idea to just stay quiet and in the corner. 

Minjae would stay curled in the corner, almost as if he was longing to change form. Felix got that. Fluidity was a gift, and to have it ripped away would be worse than death. An odd thought struck him. San and Minjae wouldn't have been able to move worlds, meaning this was the only reality they knew. Adding to the fact he'd never seen a shapeshifter or whatever San was, Felix couldn't help but wonder what went on in this dimension.

One of the Seventeen members delivered their food. He was business-like but easily distracted. A barking order informing the man Jeonghan had pictures sped up the process of getting food significantly. As Felix closed his eyes, a voice shook him. 

_Now._

Now what? But even as Felix asked himself who the voice was, he was sprinting toward the open door.

_Left._

Alright, there was nothing else to go on. Felix turned sharply to the left, avoiding several angry men. His legs hurt from the sudden use. He should've joined Soobin in the exercises instead of dozing in a dream-like state. 

_Just run forward like crazy._

So Felix did. He sprinted, drawing air into his struggling body, trying desperately to just keep moving. More shouts behind him alerted his senses. The boys had escaped as well.

_You see the door? It's unlocked. Run for it mate._

Felix slammed himself into the door, feeling it give. Soobin and Taehyun hurtled forward, Felix watching them blip into another world. Good for them.

_Yes good for them, but you need to move too. Get your butt moving!_

Minjae was a beast with long legs, moving incredibly quickly. Some noble part of Felix wanted to wait for San, make sure he was going to get out alright, but it was squashed as he kept moving. It was the only thing that saved his life. A little more than 100 feet away from the building, he turned only to see it explode into flames.

_Move Felix, move it!_

He couldn't tell who was in his head, at this point. He was just terrified. Lee Felix was no warrior or great adventurer. He was a coward running from everywhere he felt safe because of the possibility it could turn on him and become toxic. He gave nothing a chance after what happened with his father. 

_You were pushed._

What? The voice in his head was creepy. But being pushed made sense. Felix remembered standing on the edge, looking over and then falling. How the voice knew it, the voice that was distinctly not his own, he didn't know. 

_You could give Jeongin's world a chance instead of running. I get you're looking for me, but maybe with everything you've gone through, I'm not worth it?_

Me? Oh, it was Chan in his head. Sure. This couldn't get weirder. Felix was beyond the point of being shocked. Magic, monsters, imprisonment. He'd literally seen it all. 

_Yes, hello. Chan here, I guess? My situation is complex. I'll explain later, but right now you need rest. Felix?_

Leaving the voice to wrestle in his head, Felix made the short hop to a nearby world. Promptly he collapsed, leaving Chan to chide him about the dangers of overexertion and pushing himself. He was ignored. 

\--

Felix arrived at the selected coordinates, dazzled by the number of mirrors decorating the area. He looked in one, seeing Chan instead of his reflection. Stumbling backward, Felix's eyes darted up and down, trying to make sense of it all.

"Hey." The man in the mirror smiled. "I'm Chan, and technically you, but not really." 

A beautifully articulate "What?" sprung forth from Felix's mouth, followed by more colorful and articulate language. 

Chan laughed, trying to explain. "You see, I'm not alive. Technically. I'm a different version of you, like a twin who just lives in your mind rent-free."

"Doesn't that phrase mean I consciously think of you?"

"Don't you?"

At a loss for words, Felix threw up several rude hand gestures, prompting another laugh from Chan. 

"I tried to help when I could. When you kept jumping, it was all I could do to hold on."

"Why here?"

"The mirrors let me appear I guess."

"Why are you older than me?"

"Why are you blond?"

"What- Chan answer the stupid question."

"I don't know the answer so I turned it on you." Chan sputtered. 

Colorful words punctuated the air, again. 

"Felix, you gotta control that tongue."

"Shut up."

Felix sat, back pressed against the mirror. He was trying to grow used to the fact he had another being in his mind. Chan, mirroring his movements. "Have you seen the sky, Chan?"

"Only through your memories."

"I wish I could show you."

"I'm sure it's beautiful." 

"I wish I could show you," he repeated, again. 

"What if you let me free?"

"What- we just met, Chan?"

"Lix, you know as well as I, we didn't _just_ meet. You got a life ahead of you, and I'm this." he gestured to the mirror. "I want a body and the experience of living too."

"But-" Felix pressed his palm against the glass. "Chan we went through so much. I need you. I need you more than I need myself."

"Felix, you gotta look at me. I love you more than anything. I care for you more than I care for the world." Chan smiled. "But you gotta grow up, gotta live life instead of running from it."

"Chan no!"

"I love you."

\--

Felix cried like his heart would break. Angry, bitter tears rolled down his face, coupled with sadness. His heart had broken. Running toward the nearest edge, he jumped. There was no fear of falling this time. He let himself spiral downwards before landing gracefully in front of Jeongin's place.

\--

"The sky is beautiful isn't it?" 

Felix was laying on his lawn, staring upwards. He was reminded of Chan, this being another time of his heart throbbing. Oh, how he wished Chan was able to see it. The wind whispered and chattered, forming words.

"Yeah, it's pretty, Lix."

**Author's Note:**

> comments are very much appreciated! Wanted to thank yall for 300+ hits on 2 of my fics. Yall are really something.
> 
> there may or may not be a part 2.


End file.
